The Haunted Shanley Hotel

The Shanley Hotel in Napanoch lost three infant children, a toddler who fell down a well, a pregnant woman to influenza, and a bodyguard shot in the pub. Featured on Ghost Hunters and Ghost Lab, the 1845 Catskills hotel now runs overnight paranormal investigations where guests report children laughing, pianos playing, and Beatrice Shanley's floral perfume.

Three babies, a three-year-old, a pregnant woman, and a bodyguard. That's the body count at the Shanley Hotel, and every one of them reportedly still walks the halls of this Catskills inn on Main Street in Napanoch.

Thomas Ritch built the first version of the hotel in 1845. The small town in the Shawangunk Mountain foothills drew New Yorkers looking for a getaway, and Ritch's Hotel became a local fixture. In 1895, a fire tore through Napanoch and burned the building to the studs. Adolph Wagner rebuilt it in just eight months.

Irish immigrant James Shanley bought the hotel in 1906 and expanded it with a bowling alley, barber shop, and several additions. He and his wife Beatrice hosted Thomas Edison and Eleanor Roosevelt. But the Shanleys' personal life was devastating. They had three children: Kathleen, James Jr., and William. Kathleen died at six months. James Jr. at four months. William at nine months. None made it to their first birthday.

The tragedies kept coming. James invited the hotel barber, Peter Greger, to move into the building with his wife and two daughters. One afternoon, three-year-old Rosie Greger wandered to the well across from the hotel, lifted the wooden cover to peek inside, lost her balance, and fell in. She hit her head on the way down and died.

Beatrice's sister Esther came to stay at the hotel and died there from influenza in 1918 while pregnant. Beatrice raised Esther's two surviving children.

During Prohibition, part of the hotel operated as a bordello and speakeasy selling bootleg liquor. A bodyguard named Frank, who worked security at the bordello, was shot and killed in the pub.

James Shanley died in 1937. The hotel changed hands several times. Sal Nicosia bought it in 2005, and his son Sal Jr. runs it now as a dedicated paranormal destination.

The ghosts correspond almost exactly to the deaths. Beatrice appears in period dress, and guests report a wave of deep sadness when she's nearby. Her floral perfume fills hallways without warning. The sound of children laughing comes from empty rooms. Rocking chairs move on their own. The piano plays with nobody touching the keys. Invisible clocks chime at odd hours (the hotel doesn't have clocks that chime). The smell of cooking drifts through the building when the kitchen is cold.

Frank still patrols. Staff report a male presence in the former bordello area, heavy and watchful.

Ghost Hunters investigated the hotel in Season 7, Episode 17. Ghost Lab covered it in Season 2, Episode 6. Both teams reported activity.

The hotel now runs overnight ghost hunts, private investigations, and monthly public events. They sign guests in and leave them to explore. What makes the Shanley different from most "haunted hotels" is the specificity of the tragedies behind the ghosts. Three dead infants, a drowned toddler, a sister who died pregnant, a murdered bodyguard. The sadness isn't manufactured for tourists. It's built into the walls.